Chinese woman gives birth on a motorcycle: The proud mummy and her “superhero” baby!
Image credit: EuroPics [CEN]
It was D-Day for expecting couple Ms Qi and her husband Mr Li in Guandong Province, China. Their baby was coming so they got on their motorcycle and headed to Chenguang Nongchang Hospital. But when they got there, the husband was shocked when the midwife told him there was no baby in his wife’s womb!
According to a Mail Online report, Ms Qi had arrived at the hospital with her trousers soaked in blood, and doctors found that the umbilical cord and placenta had come out. Dr Liang Guiying had asked her, “Where’s the baby?”
The doctor realised that the baby must have been born on the way to the hospital and slid out of Ms Qi’s trouser leg. Mr Li immediately rushed back with medical staff to try and find the baby.
They came across a group of three men about two miles from the hospital standing on the side of the road surrounding a newborn baby boy covered in blood. The baby immediately started crying when he was picked up by Mr Li — it was his son!
Miraculously, the little boy had only suffered some minor bruises and has no permanent damage. News reports quote doctors as saying that the bumps on the road helped break the umbilical cord.
Mr Li said that on the way to hospital his wife suddenly cried out “The baby is coming!”. But never did he think that she had actually given birth on his motorcycle.”Thanks to the doctor as well as the kindhearted drivers for helping me find my son”, said Mr Li.
Mum and baby are doing well and we think this little one just might grow up to be a superhero!
Hopefully, none of you reading this will ever be in the situation like Ms Qi, where you go into full-on labour on a motorcycle! Nevertheless, it is good to be prepared and armed with knowledge about what to do in emergency birth situations, either at home or in a vehicle.
These tips work whether your are alone or with someone, so it’s best to have your partner read this information too!
How do you handle an emergency birth at home or in a vehicle?
At home
1. Assess the situation
If you’re having strong contractions two to three minutes apart, your water has broken and you feel a strong urge to push, it’s highly likely your baby is in a mighty hurry to come out and you won’t have the time to make it to the hospital.
2. Call 995!
Tell the dispatcher that you are in labour and that you need an emergency crew sent to your home immediately. Remember to unlock your front door (or tell your partner to do so), as you won’t be in a position to do this later.
3. Call your doctor
Even if your doctor can’t get to you on time, he can still be on the phone to guide you and give you instructions. Remember to put him on speaker-phone.
4. Get towels, sheets or blankets
Put one under yourself and keep the others nearby to dry your baby and keep him warm, should he arrive before the emergency crew gets there. If you can, wash your hands and your vaginal area with soap.
5. Resist the urge to push
Your intention is to try and delay your baby’s birth until help gets there. So try and resist the urge to push by panting, using breathing techniques, or lying on your side. Sit propped up or just lie down, because if you are by yourself and you baby is born, he could fall and suffer a serious injury. Remember to take off your underwear.
So you can’t avoid pushing and your baby is definitely coming — what do you do next? Find out on the next page.
Try to stay as calm as possible!
6. Birthing your baby
If you can’t avoid pushing, then try to stay calm. Medical experts say that when birth happens quickly, it’s usually because everything is going well (unless it’s a preterm birth).
- Guide your baby out as gently as possible
- If the umbilical cord is around your baby’s neck, either loosen it to form a loop so his body can slip out, or slowly ease it over his head. When your baby is out, do not try to cut or tug on the cord. Leave it attached until help arrives.
- Soon after your baby is born you should deliver the placenta. Leave it alone too, as the medical crew will take care of it.
- Dry your baby, rest him on your tummy and cover yourselves with a blanket or towel to keep him warm.
- Gently run your fingers down the sides of his nose to clear any mucus or amniotic fluid from his nostrils. Stimulate him by rubbing up and down his back if he doesn’t cry spontaneously.
- Try and get your baby to nurse to release oxytocin, which will help you deliver your placenta if you haven’t done so already. But only nurse if the umbilical cord is slack, not taut.
- Once the placenta is delivered, keep nursing to encourage your uterus to keep contracting and control bleeding. If you can’t nurse, manually stimulate your nipples to release the hormone.
In a vehicle
Robin Elise Weiss, a pregnancy and childbirth expert, advises that if you are in a vehicle and your baby’s birth is imminent, the first thing that must be done is to get the driver to pull over and put on the blinkers. Following this, follow the steps pertaining to an emergency birth at home.
Remember to always pack a small bag with some clean towels/sheets and keep it with you on the back seat of your vehicle when on your way to the hospital, just in case your baby decides to make a speedy entry to the world. Having a towel handy was certainly useful to me with the birth of my second son, when my water bag broke in the taxi on the way to the hospital!
Mums, have you been in a situation where your baby was in a mighty rush to be born? We would love to read about your story in the comments below!